3th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

3th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A

In today's Gospel, Jesus does two things as a follow-up to His message. First, He calls people to accept His message and come to the Light. "Repent," that is, reform your lives. This means: clear away any obstacles, so that the light can shine in, so that you can see its brilliance and feel its warmth, so that you can receive Christ's Light and live by it. Second, He calls people to continue announcing this message that the light, the Kingdom of heaven, has come. In other words, with His invitation to Peter and Andrew, James and John, Jesus begins to establish a church, which He intends to be a sign of God's Kingdom, a sign of the Light's Presence.
God's Word is alive and active and present now, among us. So, Jesus the Light is now coming to live, not in Capernaum, but in Amagasaki, to live in our homes, our hearts, yours and mine. He comes as the Light into our darkness and that twofold movement we noted in the Gospel happens all over again: He calls you and me to accept Him "Repent." He calls you and me to share in His mission by being active and authentic members of His church -- "Come after me and I will make you fishers of men."
Do you and I really accept Jesus as the Light dispelling our darkness? Are we honest enough to admit the darkness of our sinfulness and our need for light? Do we understand that Jesus' challenge: "Repent" is meant for us? What is the obstacle that keeps the Light from shining in, from shining through? Do you and I really accept Jesus' invitation to share His mission? "Who me?" we ask. "I'm not good enough, I'm not holy enough, I'm too ordinary." But notice who Jesus is calling in today's Gospel: four fishermen, very ordinary, earthy people -- like you and me! Do we really understand that sharing Christ's mission means trying to be signs of the Light in our ordinary everyday lives, trying to bring His Light and His Truth into daily life.
The light we bring has many forms and shapes: gentleness, compassion, firmness, honesty, forgiveness and fidelity to the Church's teachings. For example,

Yes, our efforts to bring the Light and be the Light are often fragmented and uneven because we are human and limited, but our efforts at least can point to the Light beyond us, to the Light that is Jesus Christ. That is why we prayed moments ago: " ... direct your love that is within us that our efforts in the name of your Son may bring mankind to unity and peace" (Opening Prayer).
Yes, there is much darkness all around us: within our hearts, among families and citizens, in our nation and world. Jesus calls us to be Light and to bring the Light into that darkness  Light that signifies His Presence. With strength that comes from being one with Him in Holy Communion, let us accept His invitation and announce to others by the way we live: "The Lord is my light and my salvation" and He wants to be yours too!

By our baptism, we have received the light of Jesus and have thus been called to discipleship. In this regard, we have to begin with ourselves in the task of making the light of Jesus shine. We can do so by first uncovering the many dark areas within us — our selfishness, weaknesses, hurts, and inclinations to greed, power and fame — a life–long process. But as we continue to do so, we are also to bring that light to others. And just as Jesus' ministry blossomed in an unlikely place called Capernaum, we are not to look for an ideal place before we begin this task. We are to bear witness to our faith wherever we are — in our home, school, place of work, the marketplace — any where.
One spiritual writer's reflections on the details of making the sign of the cross on our forehead, on our lips and on our breast may help us prepare for and exercise our discipleship.
Making the sign of the cross on our forehead shows the readiness of our minds to listen and understand the Word of God. Obviously, this readiness to listen is not to be limited to the readings at Mass and the priest's homily. We have to reinforce this with our readings of Scriptures and other related materials, and then prayerfully reflect on them. Moreover, we have to relate our faith with what is happening to and around us.
Making the sign of the Cross on our lips signify that we do not receive the Word of God only for our personal salvation. Rather, we are to share it with others by word and deed.
Making the sign of the cross on our breast tells us that our proclamation will not be effective unless there is a loving heart behind it. People are to believe in us not because we can memorize bible texts or win in religious debates but because we care for them. It is for this reason, for example, that a person who speaks of the good qualities of others is more easily taken into our confidence than someone who spreads gossip. In short, we have to show that Christianity is above all a religion of love and concern for others.
If Jesus came to us as the "great light," we are to be "small lights" to others for the same task — to disperse the darkness that continues to envelope the world. This is what our following of Jesus should be about.


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